Have Game? Will Travel! » Woe is Me and My Cubs

RIP Chicago Cubs 2008…A Letter from a very OLD Man

Ultimate Sports Wife — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:29:00 +0000

I have a lot of pressure to comment on the the sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs. In the past few days, after escaping from my self-imposed hibernation, people have hugged me, apologized and offered their polite condolences. They have also been egging me on for some kind of commentary- perhaps a eulogy to the 2008 Chicago Cubs.

I find that there are not many words that can do justice to this crushing loss – although given the shrine at the bleacher entrance of Wrigley Field, I am not alone in coming to terms with the shocking death of the Chicago Cubs’ season. On Sunday, I stood at this memorial for meaning and comfort but mostly, I just sensed anger, torn signs and empty beer cans. For some reason, this loss feels different and more personal than years past.

In years past, Cubs fans felt lucky to be in the playoffs so any win was a lucky bonus and any loss was a bit expected. Again, the Cubs were just happy to be there. This year, with talent, luck and a season going our way, Cubs fans hopes were raised higher than ever before only to be dropped to the depths of despair.

On a personal level, it is hard to comment on the emotional toll of this loss. There is anger, sadness and disappointment and no, you can’t go to counseling for this stuff. But, to capture the pain and anger of a Cubs loss, I thought that I would publish a note from a very OLD Cubs fans who has been waiting a very long time for a Cubs World Series. This is a picture of Andrew’s Pop-Pop during the regular season. He is 86 years old and was optimistic for the post-season. You can see the joy and happiness in his face outside of Wrigley and posing next to his Cubs paver that reads “#1 Pop Pop, #1 Cubs Fan.” Now, read the following email that I received just a few days ago.

Dear Andrew and Nicole – tx for note. The straw has now broken the camel’s back – the Cubs no longer exist. Just a bunch of bums. How could they be so bad? I hope the air around your house was not poisoned.
Love, Pop-Pop and Poppy

You don’t even want to see the new, angrier picture of dear ole’ Pop Pop.

Cubs, you have done it again. You have broken the hearts of your loyal fans and in our sick codependency, we come back for more every year. Thanks for the pleasure and the sadistic pain of watching you play.

RIP Chicago Cubs 2008…may you rot with the Bartmans, Black Cats and Goats of our past.

Black Cats, Broken Mirrors and Walking Under Ladders

Ultimate Sports Wife — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:20:00 +0000

I didn’t want to post this before the first game of the playoffs but I have a confession to make. I felt a small shift in fate and luck in the Neighborhood the night before the playoffs. My prevoius post was on the “luck” of running into the Dodgers as they arrived in Chicago. I got a picture with former Cubs, Juan Pierre and got to see other Major League greats like Nomar, Manny and Kemp. What I didn’t talk about was a weird moment that was almost like something out of the movie, The Ring.

I took this picture two times with Matt Kemp and all I got was this messed-up, blurry and cursed image. As a very superstitious Cubs fan, I tried to block it out of my mind but I was a woman obsessed. I went to sleep with a heavy heart-feeling guilty that I tempted the fates and even touched a Dodgers. Kemp’s bad luck hex rubbed off on me and I was scared.

Yesterday before the game, I tried to keep my wits about me. I grabbed all the Cubs security items that I have: My favorite hat and rally cap. My ratty radio and headphones. My puffy hand. Then, it started…a button broke off of my hat, my radio went missing and in trying to get to the game, I left my Cubs puffy hand on the floor.

We all know how the game turned out and my lofty notions of five weeks in baseball heaven may turn into a week or so of baseball hell.

So, I urge all Cubs fans to help me out on this one. It is time to temp the fates and thumb our nose at superstitions. Today, I am breaking mirrors, walking under ladders and hugging black cats. I am bringing a fresh rally cap to the game. I am changing my Cubs sweatshirt and changing seats with Andrew. I will not be a prisoner of “luck” or hexes or goats or Bartmans.

Instead, I am wiping our karma clean and saying a prayer to St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost things…who perhaps is the best way of getting back our regular season magic.

Here it goes: “Tony Tony Come Around…Something’s lost, and can’t be found….” Since I can’t fill the Cubs’ Gatorade coolers with Holy Water and they have already blessed the dugout by a priest, I must wait it out tonight and hope for the best. Let’s just hope that Zambrano and team is in on this karmic shift with me.

Rally Pants

Ultimate Sports Wife — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:29:00 +0000

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If your team is behind in the game, donning a rally cap is the best way to bring some luck to the field. Sacrificing a small part of your dignity in exchange for the possibility of a win is always reasonable.

Being a Cubs fan, I have a lot of experience with a rally cap. And, as you may know, in the past few home games, I have had a lot of practice invoking the rally cap but to no avail. Let’s just say that the Cubs have a five game losing streak. As you may have seen, I have tried the rally cap as well as prayed.

But, what I did not realize was that others were getting even more worried and far more desperate than me. At last night’s Cubs game, I turned around and saw (to my horror) a man sitting rows above me with a huge tear down the center of his jeans. In addition, he was wearing boxers that were hanging haphazardly and dangerously over all the ‘goods.’ I instantly whispered to Andrew who confronted him: “Yeah Buddy!…those are some pants ya got there.”

The man yelled back: “They’re my rally pants.”

Has five consecutive losses pushed us to these desperate measures? Have we resorted to rally pants, rally girdles and rally jock straps? And, how far are we bound to go? Rally smelly, we-don’t-change-our-underwear?

Let’s just hope that we can get out of this losing streak on our own terms…without resorting to depths we might regret.

The Cubs are Ruining My Life

Ultimate Sports Wife — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:43:00 +0000

So, during Cubs season, I am often overwhelmed by baseball. My whole day revolves around the Cubs Clock…an internal clock that determines your work schedule, your commute itinerary, and even how much work you can get done.

With the Cubs at home, my week gets rough. I work. I run home. I stress. I am late but I get into the game in the 2nd inning.

But today, I am overwhelmed by the possibility that I may be become a real bleacher bum. Not the kind that occasionally drinks too much beer and yells: “Right Field Sucks!” But, the kind that is jobless and takes on ball games as their daily employment.

Today is one of those days where I had to make a tough choice. Do I go to the game or do I get my life, house, and job back in order? I am making this decision while my houses is in shambles… and my “to do” list is missing in the mess.

Tackling this hurdle is like dangling a steak in front of a hungry dog. Right now, there is a soft summer breeze flowing into the house…I hear the cheers and I have two grad school friends and who are sitting in my season tickets seats as I type. Plus, I just got a call from my cousin asking whether I was at the Game. Let me be clear:

NO, NO I am NOT at the game and YES, YES its NICE outside, and I have NO choice but to be a responsible citizen if only because my “home office” looks something like this…
Are you HAPPY? Yes, the Cubs are ruining my life, and I am the sad little kid who can’t come out to play. Good riddens and I will see you tomorrow at the game.

A Touchy Subject

Ultimate Sports Wife — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:42:00 +0000

I recently wrote about the dubious honor of the Cubs 10,000 wins.

Please take a read of my recent blog if you want to understand why I am so suspect of this honor. Let me point out a painful but obvious statistic that since the Cubs hailed that “10,000 Win” flag, they have lost 5 out of 7 games.

Last night, the promotion was a faux “W” flag for the first 10,000 fans. Isn’t that risky business? It’s a flag that you only can use for half the season’s games (in a good year). What’s that about? I hate celebrating mediocrity. It comes back to bite you in the end…case in point, today…Kerry Wood had a demoralizing loss in the 9th. Let’s hope the karma takes a turn for some better baseball. untill then, take it easy on the “W” flags.

10,000 Wins…An Undetermined Amount of Pain

Ultimate Sports Wife — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:04:00 +0000

We watched the Cubs 10,000th win from a North Side bar-enjoying German brews and great food.

I was a little confused by the enormous celebration. Sure, 10,000 wins is a milestone but hidden in the numbers is years of pain and loss. 10,000 wins represents a long history of baseball in Chicago. Generations of fans have waited for that sacred winning season where “this year is finally here.” 10,000 wins is really over a hundred years in the making. Is it really an accomplishment or just a prize for longevity? We have 10,000 wins but of course, we are missing the “win” that means the most: A World Series Championship.

Here is another number: 100. That’s how many years its been since fans have been waiting for that milestone.
Right now, the Traditional “W” flag is flying outside of Wrigley. Along side is a “10,000″ flag celebrating the milestone.

I am quite certain that we must have passed this milestone on the losses. To get to 10,000 wins, how many have we had to lose? Better yet, even if we’ve had more wins than losses, there is no way to quantify the pain. The Cubs seems to always find a way to lose in glorious fashion…in a way that hints at hope but then destroys your dreams. Sure the flags are waving now, but its only April and I am a bit scared to think ahead to October…if there is an October for the Cubs.